Commissioner Goldmark to attend National Public Lands Day volunteer celebration in Yacolt Burn State Forest Event marks the 9th Annual ‘Pick Up the Burn’

OLYMPIA – Members of the media and public are invited to join Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark and volunteers in celebrating National Public Lands Day in Yacolt Burn State Forest, north of Camas on Saturday, September 24.

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting the 9th Annual ‘Pick Up the Burn’ event, which coincides each year with National Public Lands Day (NPLD), along with our co-sponsors: Piston’s Wild Motorsports, Jones Creek Trail Riders Association, and Pacific Northwest 4-Wheel Drive Association.

Who: Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark
What: National Public Lands Day - Pick Up the Burn
When: Saturday, September 24
8 a.m. - Volunteer sign in
9 a.m. - Welcoming remarks, words of appreciation and safety briefing
Following the morning’s remarks and briefing, volunteers will spend the day cleaning up garbage in the forest, followed by a lunch at 2 p.m. provided by Piston’s Wild Motorsports.
Where: Jones Creek Trailhead, Yacolt Burn State Forest
Why: Each year, thousands of volunteers across the nation renew their commitment to supporting public lands. For nine years on NPLD, volunteers and DNR staff have cleaned up and hauled thousands of tons of garbage from the Yacolt Burn State Forest, including hulked vehicles and old boats.

Recreation on DNR-managed lands
DNR manages 5.6 million acres of state-owned forest, aquatic, agricultural, conservation and urban lands. Most recreation on these lands takes place in the 2.9 million acres of forests that DNR manages as state trust lands. By law, state trust lands are managed to produce income for schools, universities, prisons, state mental hospitals, community colleges, local services in many counties, and the state’s General Fund. State trust lands are also managed to provide fish and wildlife habitat and educational and recreational opportunities.